Types of Political Change Lesson

Cartoon drawing of political books stacked on top of one another Profound political and economic changes have characterized the 20th and 21st centuries. The fall of communism in the Soviet bloc states, the emergence of the European Union, NAFTA, 9-11, a partial market economy in China, fragmentation in Nigeria, and revolution in Iran only scratch the surface of the changes that have occurred. Most recently, the politicization of religion has dominated world politics of the early 21st century. Change is constant in each one of the six core countries studied in this course. Rarely does political change happen without economic change and vice versa. In this unit we will discuss, through case studies, types of change, to include reform, revolution, and coup d'états, as well as attitudes that promote and influence change, such as radicalism, liberalism, conservatism, and reactionary beliefs. Make sure to read topics related to political and economic change in your e-textbook.

Please complete the following Types of Economics Activity.

Political and Economic Change Presentation

It is now time to watch the Political and Economic Change presentation. Take notes as you watch the video and reach out to your instructor with any questions.

Democratic Nations

How do we determine if a country is democratic? One broad, essential requirement for democracy is the existence of competitive elections that are regular, free, and fair. Competitive elections offer a real possibility that the incumbent government may be defeated. A number of modern states call themselves 'democratic' but fall into a gray area that is neither clearly democratic nor clearly undemocratic. Liberal democracies display characteristics such as civil liberties, rule of law, neutrality of the judiciary, open civil society, and civilian control of the military.

How is Democracy Measured?

Political accountability - In a democracy, political leaders are held accountable to the people of a country. Existence of regular, free, and fair elections.
Political competition - Political parties must be free to organize, present candidates, and express their ideas. The losing party must allow the winning party to take office peacefully.
Political freedom - Assembly, organization, and political expression, including the right to criticize the government.
Political equality - Equal access to political participation, equal rights as citizens, and equal weighting of citizens' votes.

Types of Political Change Review

Please complete the following activity to help review vocabulary terms related to political change.

Please complete the following Characteristics of Democratic Society Activity.

Takeaway & Sendoff

Questions to Consider:

What are the characteristics of a democratic country?
How do we measure democracy?
How does change occur?

True or False? Review Activity

Read the following statements, then determine if they are true or false.

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